The Nativity and the Annunciation to the Shepherds, in a psalter preceded by miniatures and a Calendar

Oxford University came into being gradually, around the year 1200, and a community of book-makers were soon established in the town, centred around the Catte Street and St Mary's Church. Documentary records suggest that these book-makers not only provided students with the necessary textbooks, but also specialised in meeting the needs of the luxury market: a disproportionately large number of illuminators are recorded. This psalter is probably one of their products: the calendar and litany include three entries for St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford. The Nativity is very unusual because it shows the Virgin suckling the Child; Joseph adjusting her pillow is derived from Anglo-Saxon compositions, which suggests that the artist knew an old version of the subject. Also unusual is the angel who stands on the ground, instead of hovering in the air.